A former Ohio State defensive lineman Donovan Munger died at the age of 30, his mother announced last Thursday in a post on social media.
The cause of death was not revealed, but Munger had dealt with blood clots during his football playing days, which cut his time on the field short.
Munger was on the Buckeyes’ national championship-winning team in 2014.
“My heart will never beat the same. It is with my deepest sadness that I formally announce to the world the passing of my eldest child Donovan Munger. Pray for my family,” Munger’s mother wrote on Instagram along with a broken heart emoji.
A native of Cleveland, Munger had come out of Shaker Heights High School as a four-star recruit and played for Ohio State from 2013-2015, appearing in 11 games in 2014 and 12 games the following season.
Munger had been diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, which forced him to redshirt his first year and eventually led to him having to step away from the sport after the 2015 season.
“It’s tough. You put your whole life into playing this game of football and you love it so much and then it gets taken away from you,” OSU defensive line coach Larry Johnson said in 2016 about Munger. “It’s a tough thing to kind of swallow, but I think he understands this is best for him. He’ll still be a part of us, be a part of our unit and a guy that we can talk to but I think now it gives us a chance to move on in his life and do a great job in the classroom.
“Get his degree and if he wants to get into coaching, he’ll be able to do that. But right now, the best part of him is just taking care of himself.”
Munger recorded five tackles during his career and one tackle for loss.